ABSTRACT
The Chamoli disaster due to avalanche in Uttarkhand’s Chamoli district in Garhwal Himalayas on 07 Feb 2021, and the subsequent destruction to life and property was a reminder of the Kedarnath tragedy of 2013. Large mass of snow, ice and rock avalanche along with a hanging mass of rock crashed into the Raunthi Garh valley floor (Correspondent, 2021), near Raini village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. A swollen water level in the tributaries washed away 13.2MW Rishiganga hydropower project near Joshimath and considerably damaged 520MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project.
This paper explores lessons learnt and aims to present its thoughts on disaster governance and developing resilient infrastructure by leveraging the application of science and developing governance models which employs Janbhagidari’ as its key principle. Paper will discuss use of a system akin to Tsunami Warning System, Railway Crossing Relay System and a series of Signalling System across the river valley in order to minimise the damage. Apart from the techniques mentioned, the paper also discusses the use of field measurements to measure abrupt changes in surface air pressure due to sudden avalanches/snowpack accelerations or landslides.
The paper proposes for geo-mapping of debris deposited on hill slopes along the river-basin project, to prepare a ‘River Basin Disaster Risk Assessment’ (RBDRA) plan with the help of locals and training under the ‘District Disaster Management Action Plan‘ with support of civil society organisations and institutions working in areas of disaster resilience in consonance with objectives laid in the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
